by Linzi Baxter
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brock laughed. “On a serious note, how are you?”
“Fine.”
“Every time my wife says she’s fine, I know it’s not true.”
Cruz laughed, and Lena elbowed him in the side.
“I have you on speaker with my team.” My hands began to sweat. “We were wondering if we moved our firm to Fort Lauderdale, would you have contracts we can assist on until we get our feet planted?”
“I’ll send the jet today. I’ve offered you a job a few times, and I’ve told you before. I want you to work for me, not because of your brother, but because you’re good at what you do.”
I looked to my team, and Lena had a giant smile on her face. They’d stayed in Boston for me. It was time we did something new. “Put the brakes on the plane.” I laughed. “The first step is for me to fix myself a little. I think we would come down in a month or two.”
“Even if you want to take some cases early, let me know. We have a backlog.”
“Give me a weekend to figure everything out. And thank you, Brock.”
“I’m the one getting three good people, and, Addie… he misses you.”
I ran my hand over my face. “Don’t tell Abe I’m moving down there, please. I have something to work out.”
“I don’t like keeping things from people,” Brock said. “I understand you need time, but he misses you, Addie. The man is acting like you stole his heart and stomped on it.”
“See you soon, Brock.”
“Bye.”
I set the phone down and looked at my two best friends. “Looks like we're moving.”
22
ABE
T hree weeks had passed since Addie walked out the door on me. I should’ve gone after her. Brock was pissed when I asked him to track her phone.
I increased the speed on the treadmill; I was at ten miles, and the workout hadn’t done anything to help my mood. Nobody would get in the boxing ring with me anymore. Jayden complained I’d broke his ribs when we matched up. I’d only bruised them a little, and it was nothing he hadn’t done to me in the past.
Antonio wasn’t giving me another case overseas until I turned my attitude around. Just because the boss had found his happily ever after didn’t mean it was out there for the rest of us. I’d accused Addie of using me as a crutch. Every word I yelled at her was a lie, but I knew she wouldn’t move to Florida, and I wasn’t going to move to Boston. It was easier to know she hated me.
She’d counted on me, and when she needed me most, I’d picked the job over her. Moreover, my job would always be a part of me. I’d cost myself one marriage and now the love of my life. My feet stumbled on the treadmill. Fuck, I love her. I missed the slight snore at night or the way her hair left the pillows smelling like vanilla. It was all over because I didn’t demand she listen. And I didn’t go after her. It didn’t matter. I’d ruined what little relationship we had.
If my boss gave me a case, everything would be better. Instead, I was in the office doing mindless paperwork all day, and it gave me time to think and remember her. When I went home at night, her smell wafted around my apartment, making me rock hard every time I tried to fall asleep. There was no going back. She hated me, and I knew that.
Footsteps sounded behind me. It would be my boss or Jayden. They always came to interrupt my running time and wanted to talk about feelings. I froze for a second when John got on the treadmill next to me. I hadn’t answered any of his calls, knowing he would probably kick my ass for hurting his sister.
“I didn’t know you were in town.” I looked over at John as he started his treadmill.
“I came to make sure you were alive and not dead.”
“I’m fine.” The words came out gruff and to the point.
“You don’t look fine. If I had to guess, you’ve lost ten pounds, and the black eye tells me you’ve been fighting.”
“Just getting in shape in case Antonio sends me to the jungle, and the black eye was the only punch Jayden got in.”
“I stopped and talked to Jayden. He said you’ve been a real asshole to be around. I wouldn’t know, since you’re not answering my calls.”
“He’s just mad he lost the fight.” John reached across the treadmill and pulled the emergency button. The treads came to an abrupt stop. “What the fuck?”
John shook his head and tossed me a towel. “I stopped in Boston a couple weeks ago. Do you want to hear how Addie’s doing?”
“I don’t,” I lied.
“You’re one of the most stubborn men I’d ever met. If I didn’t know better, I would think you didn’t want to be with Addie because of her phobia.”
“Fuck you. It’s complicated.”
“Anything worth having is complicated. If finding the person you’re supposed to be with was easy, everyone would be married.”
“I was married, and that didn’t work out, either.”
“Jesus, man, stop acting like a two-year-old. You married someone you wanted to help. That is different from marrying the love of your life. My parents were fucked up. Hell, Blair tried to kill Addie, and I still believe in love. I know my sister does too.”
“Right, there is one reason you shouldn’t want me to be with your sister. She was in my care, and she almost died.”
“First off, she was in a safe house, and you bought her a dog. Secondly, you can’t be around the person you care about at all times. You don’t think I worry about Annabella driving in LA or a crazy fan stalking her, but those things didn’t keep me away. They do keep me up at night. But every worry is worth it when I get home and get to see my wife’s face. Which I do not see tonight, because you wouldn’t answer my calls.”
“She’s better off without me. I’m not going to stop taking cases and going overseas.”
“If you don’t talk to her, you will never know how she feels. Communication is the key—also the key to friendship, fucker. Maybe it’s better off if she finds someone who cares about her, because it seems like you don’t.”
“I love her,” I admitted out loud.
“Then if you love her, why are you spending your time on the treadmill and not groveling to get her back?”
I wiped the sweat off my face. “Because I’m not good for her.”
“You’re one of the best men I know. There aren’t many people I would think are good enough for my sister, but you are. Even if you’re an idiot about the situation.”
“We live in separate states.”
“In the beginning, take it slow, and if things work out, figure it out. I know you like working for AA Security, but is your job more important than your happiness? Hell, Addie runs a PI firm. If things work out, join her or help her with the cases she has or freelance. I bet Antonio would let you work cases up there.”
“I don’t know if she even wants to see me.”
“Dude, I’m not your fucking therapist. I’m not going to sit and tell you how she feels. The one thing I’m going to tell you is you need to wake the fuck up, because what you’re doing isn’t good for you. You might push away more of the people that care about you.”
“That sounded like a therapy session to me.”
“Fuck you,” he barked.
“Since Jayden won’t get in the ring with me, you want to go a round?”
“As fun as that sounds, Antonio told me he wants you to go survey someone's house about an alarm.”
“When are you heading back?”
“Tonight.”
“Want to meet for dinner before you leave?”
“Maybe, give me a call after your appointment and we’ll talk.”
I nodded and headed for the showers. John had made some good points. I decided to fly up to Boston this weekend and beg Addie for forgiveness. I wasn’t ready to let her go.
“ADDIE?” Abe stood on my front steps. Antonio had promised not to tell Abe it was my house he was coming to. Honestly, I’d almost chickened out and called Antonio back to tell him not to s
end Abe.
But there he stood, sexy as hell even if he had a black eye. I wanted to run into his arms, but I stood back and waited for him to step in. My new house did need an alarm system.
“Hi,” Addie said.
Great, the words were stuck in my throat. Lena and Cruz had left my house an hour ago to head over to the house they’d rented down the street. “Let me show you the system I have, and you can tell me what you recommend.”
“How long have you been in Fort Lauderdale?” Abe asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
It took me a week of being home to realize I had nothing left in Boston. My team and I had accepted Brock’s job offer, and I could still work from home. “A little while. Come in.”
Axel stood at my side. He went everywhere with me. We’d even made a trip to the grocery store. I went an hour before the store closed on a Wednesday, and nobody was around. Partway through shopping, I’d almost had an attack, and Axel had helped me.
Abe walked into my small house, his shoulders a little hunched. Sex was so much easier than talking about feelings. I also didn’t know if he was going to reject me. And if he did, I wasn’t going to leave.
“I need to apologize,” Abe said as he leaned against the wall.
“Really?” I was the one who’d left. I was the one who’d said he wasn’t enough. I was the one who owed him an apology.
Abe nodded. “I should have never left you unprotected in that house, and I should’ve made sure you made it back to Boston.”
“You’re not my keeper. There is no reason you should’ve made sure I made it home. I’m thirty-five years old, Abe.”
“You’re right. Fuck. I’m having a hard time with this. Addie, I care about you.”
Ouch. I loved him, and he only cared about me. “Maybe this was a bad idea. I can have Brock find someone else to look at my alarm.”
“Am I here because of the alarm, or did you want to talk to me?”
“Talk.”
“Then come sit on the couch, and let’s talk.”
I swallowed hard. “But I ran,” I whispered. “I ran.” And if I sat next to him, I wouldn’t be able to think.
When I was close to the couch, Abe pulled me onto his lap.
“You might’ve run,” Abe said, “but I also didn’t go after you. And you’re supposed to go after the ones you love.”
“You love me?”
Abe’s lip ticked up. “You captured my heart the second I carried you off the plane. And when I got back to the house, and I found you in danger, I felt like I failed you.”
My hands shook as I clasped both of his cheeks. “You didn’t fail me. Axel saved my life, and he wouldn’t be part of my life if it wasn’t for you. When you didn’t come to Boston, I thought it was because I have so much baggage.”
“And I felt like I let you down.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “I don’t ever want to see you hurt again.”
“I can’t promise I won’t get hurt. But I did go to the store by myself. Well, Axel went with me.”
“You’re one of the strongest women I know.” Abe pulled me in closer.
“You’re not mad I moved to Fort Lauderdale?”
Abe frowned. “Hell no, someone talked some sense into me today. I was planning to fly to Boston on Saturday and beg for your forgiveness.”
Axel curled up by our feet.
“So you really do love me?” I whispered.
Abe let out a breath. “More than my next breath. I plan to spend as much time with you as possible, because, Addie, you’re it for me. I know it’s too early to ask, but you’re going to be my wife.”
“Even with my baggage,” I reminded him.
“It’s not baggage,” Abe growled. “I don’t know how many ways I can tell you I like the way you are.”
Tears fell from my eyes. Abe ran his thumb across my cheek and wiped them away. My heart was beating a mile a minute, and it wasn’t because I was going to have an attack. It was beating for the man next to me.
“I love you,” I whispered then pressed my lips to his.
Abe smiled against my lips before swiping his tongue along the seam. I was home. The worries of the world went away while Abe had his arms wrapped around me. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but with him by my side, it no longer scared me. We would take on the world together.
Abe stood with me in his arms and walked down the hall toward the bedroom. He pushed open the first door, and it was the guestroom. I couldn’t hold back the giggle as he growled down at me.
“It’s the last door on the right.”
He pushed open the door and laid me down on the bed, wrapping me in his arms. I had my best friend, and I never wanted to let him go. As he held me, I knew everything would work out.
EPILOGUE - ADDIE
I couldn’t help but smile at the group of people enjoying the cool Florida night. It wasn’t too often it was cold enough for us to light the fire pit Abe made me in the back yard. Even though he consistently helped me remodel parts of my small home, and he stayed over at least five nights a week, he hadn't moved in yet.
Abe grabbed Jared as he wobbled from Jessica over to him. I loved watching him smile as he played with his friend’s kids. "Hey, little man."
Jessica frowned. “He’s not very little anymore. I know everyone tells you time flies, but I didn’t expect it to go so fast. And he hasn’t even seen his cousin.”
Patty and Sam were still in Shalia, raising their daughter. I had talked with Patty a couple of times when Jessica came over, and she called on FaceTime.
“I got my invitation in the mail,” Abe said.
Patty’s wedding invite was nothing like I’d ever seen. It came inside a jewelry encrusted box. I knew the wedding would be amazing, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a ten-hour flight. Abe wanted me to go as his plus one.I left the house a lot more than I used to, but it was mainly for necessities, groceries, or going to Blackwood Security. Abe had rented out a room in a restaurant one night so we could enjoy his favorite steak house. But I wasn't sure if I could do the flight across the country.
Brock pulled his marshmallow back from the fire, "We got our invite the other day also. Sam said they set a date for the wedding, I never expected that type of invite."
Alex cleared his throat. “I thought my parents went over the top for mine and Bridget's wedding.” He let out a chuckle. “When Dad got the invite the other day, he grumbled about being shown up. I know Aaron, Daisy, and Neal want a small wedding. CJ and Asher are going to have to deal with Dad because I'm not sure that Alice will ever get married."
Asher leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “When CJ and I get married, it will be small. Just because you gave Dad and Mom free rein on your wedding, it does not mean the rest of us have to.”
Abe reached over and squeezed my hand. I never cared about the glamour of a wedding. The day was supposed to be about the bride and groom, but too often, everyone made it about them. Even John was worried about me at his wedding. I knew one day I would marry Abe, but it would be on our terms and nobody else's.
“You say that now,” Alex countered back.
CJ gave a big grin. “Mary Ross loves me and will do anything for me.” Mary was Asher and Alex’s mom.
The patio door opened and John and Annabella walked out. I hadn’t seen my brother in three months. John had a weary look on his face as he set the cooler down. There was a chance it was about our mom. I’d shut my phone off for the day, so I didn't see how the trial ended.
Annabella sat in the chair next to me. She grabbed a small bottle of Barefoot wine out of the cooler and poured some into a red solo cup. It didn’t matter Annabella had more money than she probably knew what to do with. She drank cheap wine and never acted like anything was beneath her.
John turned to Abe, gesturing to the door.
I tightened my hand on Abe’s leg. “It’s fine, tell me what happened.”
On the second day of the trial, I told my side of
the story via video conference. There was a high chance my mother was going to get to spend her time in a mental hospital, and from the frown, on John's face, I'm guessing that’s what happened.
My brother nodded and took the seat next to his wife. “Like we thought would happen, Blair is spending her sentence in a mental hospital.”
Even though my mother held me at gunpoint, hopefully, she would get the help she needed.
“What are you not telling me?”
John ran his hand over his face. “She’s only getting five years. Blair had more information on the HUE Company. The FBI was able to take down a local terrorist group which the HUE Company sold equipment to. What’s even worse is all the equipment they had worked and wasn’t defective. It seemed what they sold to the terrorist organization they made sure to test and sent the government the crap.”
At least now they had a list of all the places the equipment was sent. “Have they made any headway on finding Vincent and his kids?”
When the FBI raided HUE, Vincent and his kids were gone. Vincent left the country without my mom. The FBI worked to trace the plane, and it was in Russia. That was why my mother showed up to the safe house looking for a way out of the country. My mom's husband had an exit plan that didn't include his wife.
I didn't regret the years I spent looking for my mother. My dad and I talked once a week. He was planning to come to visit Abe and me in a few months. He said he knew where my mom was the whole time and wished I hadn't found her. One night he broke down and told me everything—how my mom had manic mood swings and wanted him to defraud the company he was working for. I asked why he went into such a depression after she left. He said he didn't know how to raise two kids, and instead of figuring it out, he drowned himself in a bottle. John still wasn't ready to forgive our dad, but that was my brother's choice, not mine.
Brock shook his head. "Vincent and his kids are in Russia. The government doesn't have plans to go after them. Too much red tape."
I wanted Vincent to pay. “How many people died because of the bad equipment.”
